Dear Editor,

Our Declaration of Independence states our Creator endowed us with unalienable rights, including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” With the Supreme Court’s 1973 decisions of Roe versus Wade and Doe versus Bolton, abortion became a significant cause for the loss of American lives, which the Guttmacher Institute reports is now greater than 60 million.

From conversations with other voters, it’s apparent that many don’t know how their candidates stand on certain issues. Current federal legislation, specifically the 116th Congress, shows how the two major political parties regard abortion. All bills voted upon in Congress related to the unborn, abortion procedures, federal funding of abortion, and associated freedom of speech were tabulated. Based upon data on the National Right to Life website, 98.8% of Democrats voted pro-abortion, whereas 98.6% of Republicans voted pro-life.

What is the reason for this huge disparity? It was the Democratic Party’s acceptance of the Supreme Court’s decisions on abortion, which it announced in its very next Party Platform in 1976. The Democratic Party has continued to support abortion ever since, including federal funding of organizations that perform abortions. The Republican Party’s Platform specifies a pro-life stance, opposing abortion, including the eventual removal of federal funding from organizations that provide abortion services.

This same disparity can also be found with the two primary presidential candidates, Joe Biden who supports abortion, and Donald Trump who is pro-life. So when you vote this year, know that you are casting votes for or against abortion.

Stephen Wingard,

St. Marys